Here are some of
the key findings regarding IP-intensive industries in Europe:

IP-intensive
industries generated 27.8% of all jobs in the EU during the period 2011-2013.
On average over this period, 60 million Europeans were employed by IP-intensive
industries. In addition, another 22 million jobs were generated in industries
that supply goods and services to the IP-intensive industries. Taking indirect
jobs into account, the total number of IP dependent jobs rises to 82.2 million
(38.1%).

Over the same
period, IP-intensive industries generated more than 42% of total economic activity
(GDP) in the EU, worth €5.7 trillion. IP-intensive industries account for
approximately 90% of the EU’s trade with the rest of the world.

IP-intensive
industries pay significantly higher wages than other industries, with a wage
premium of 46% over other industries. This is consistent with the fact that the
value added per worker is higher in IP-intensive industries than elsewhere in
the economy.

IP-intensive
industries have proved most resilient to the economic crisis. Comparing the
results of this study with those of the 2013 study reveals that the relative
contribution of these industries to the EU economy slightly increased between
the two periods 2008-2010 (2013 study) and 2011-2013 (2016 study).

The detailed
analysis of the economic weight of industries engaged in the development of climate
change mitigation technologies (CCMTs) shows that they account for 1.2% of
employment and 2.1% of economic output in the EU. They generated a substantial
trade surplus for the EU and, despite a small drop in employment, were able to
increase their GDP contribution between the two periods 2008-2010 and
2011-2013.

This study supports
what FSF scholars have stated for many years: strong IP rights protections encourage
increased economic activity because they enable and promote creativity,
innovation, and investment from artists and entrepreneurs throughout the entire
economy. And, importantly, as the new European study shows, securing IP rights
grows jobs and wages.